SING IT LOUD
Meet Australian female artists paving their own paths in the music industry.
African-born poet, singer-songwriter and rapper who recently won the Australian Music Prize.
WHAT IS YOUR BACK STORY? “I’m a Zambian raised in Botswana and now based in Australia. I grew up between Zambia and Botswana in what I can only describe as a colourful, vibrant, unapologetic upbringing. I was raised around strong cultures that heavily influenced both my music and who I have grown up to be. When I came to Australia to study at university with my older sister, I really did not plan to pursue a music career.”
YOU RECENTLY WON THE AUSTRALIAN MUSIC PRIZE. ARE YOU SURPRISED TO HAVE BEEN SO ACCEPTED BY OUR MUSIC INDUSTRY?
“I’m more intrigued by the connection people have with the music. I started writing music and learning more about what kind of artist I am while I was growing up in Botswana. All my influences are from what I grew up with from childhood. It’s amazing to me that my music resonates within the Australian music scene.”
WHEN DID YOU KNOW YOU WANTED TO BE A MUSICIAN?
“Around nine or 10 years old, when I wrote my first song. I was at school waiting for my parents to pick me up and they were late so I sat in the parking lot and wrote my first song.”
WHAT WOULD YOU SAY LOVE MOST ABOUT MAKING MUSIC?
“The sense of peace I feel when making music and the connection the music has with people.”
Singer-songwriter who launched the Electric Lady festival featuring only female acts. DESCRIBE YOUR MUSIC.
“I guess my music right now is a balance of pop, folk, rock and what feels to me like psychedelia. I see and feel landscapes of emotion in my brain and try to express them right down to the finest detail.”
YOUR DEBUT ALBUM HAS A TRAGIC BACKSTORY INVOLVING THE DEATH OF YOUR SISTER. TELL US ABOUT THAT.
“Unintentionally, this album is what I made with my grief, with my will to pursue light over darkness despite my personal world constantly tugging at my sleeves to stop fighting it. My personal world for many years was harsh and dark. Music naturally crept in and created a place for me to talk to myself, to release emotion when the rest of the world seemed far away. Inside these songs are loads of different thoughts that helped me change my perspective and attitude to find strength spiritually, physically and mentally.”
WHY DID YOU FORM THE GROW YOUR OWN AND ELECTRIC LADY FESTIVALS?
“I wanted to create something with all the people I was meeting in the industry, something more tangible than music that let me exercise my love for physical creation in business. They also both respond to core passions of mine and my teams – music, sustainability, local food and culture, and the amplification of women worldwide.”
Singer-songwriter winning plaudits for her powerful lyrics about sexual assault. DESCRIBE YOUR MUSIC.
“Very simple songs about complicated things.”
BOYS WILL BE BOYS STRUCK A CHORD WITH ITS HONESTY ABOUT SEXUAL ASSAULT. HOW DIFFICULT IS IT TO WRITE A SONG LIKE THAT?
“It was quite an easy song to write, because it was helping me through a difficult time; it came from a very genuine and angry place. I just knew I needed to say something, I wanted people to know how I felt at my gigs, I wanted to make people think. I began to write it with a very specific person in mind, but as time went on I realised that the issue was so much bigger than my personal circumstances and that more people needed to hear it.”
WHAT DO YOU LOVE MOST ABOUT MAKING MUSIC?
“It’s something of mine that nobody else can touch, no matter what.”
NAME AN ALBUM OR SONG THAT CHANGED YOUR LIFE?
“Party by Aldous Harding.”
WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE STAGE OUTFIT?
“Something that I can do silly dance moves in without feeling too closed in! I’m huge fan of Alpha 60 items as staples that I can build outfits around.”
WHAT INSPIRES YOU?
“Everything! The good, the bad and the ugly.”
IS THE FUTURE FEMALE?
“I would like to think that the future is inclusive.”